


Found

by sbdrag



Series: Lost Things [2]
Category: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-02-25 11:36:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2620346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbdrag/pseuds/sbdrag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A companion piece to Missing, from Pritchard's point of view.</p><p> </p><p>Frank Pritchard's past is catching up with him in the worst of ways. An enamored gang boss, the British Mafia, and a little known twin sister are all just pieces of the puzzle that makes up Sarif Industries Head of Cyber Security.</p><p>And maybe a security guy, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> I don't speak Spanish. Like, at all. And I don't have a Spanish speaking beta. So please please PLEASE tell me if I messed up the Spanish. Or made it seem insulting. Or something. Thank you.

Destermount Apartments’ Parking Garage  
22:34:02

 

_I really need to stop working so late._

I sighed as I pulled my bike into it’s parking space. It had been a long day at the office, except, not really. I had, I admit, a habit of staying later to work on problems that could either wait or Shauna could monitor until I got back to them. _No, that’s not right._ Shauna was capable. She could do more than monitor problems, she could fix them. Not all of them, of course, some of them. I really needed to stop trying to fix everything. 

I pulled of my helmet, setting it on my bike as I pulled my hair out of the low ponytail I used when riding. It could fit when it was tied up, but it was annoying, so I tied it down. _If I keep this up, I won’t get enough sleep. Then I’ll make mistakes._ Mistakes Sarif Industries couldn’t afford. I sighed again, through my nose.

“H-hey, Frankie.”

I turned in surprise. _I haven’t been called that since…_

“...Dick?” I asked. A crooked smile pulled at the corner of the man’s face as he approached. Yes, he was older now, with a scruffy beard and looking worse for wear, but it was him. Dick Carmichael. He seemed… nervous. I picked up my helmet, unsure. 

“I’m surprised you remember me,” Dick said, stopping about a foot or two away. I felt my brows furrow. Something was… off. But it was definitely Dick, right down to the self-deprecating smile.

“Are you alright?” I asked. Dick blinked in surprise. _He’s hiding something._

“Me? I… I’m fine, Frankie,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. I glanced around as casually as I could. I couldn’t place it, but there was an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. “I just… I saw you a couple days ago goin’ into your apartment place and thought we could catch up, ya know? Get some drinks or something.”

“You don’t look so good, Dick,” I said. I tried to think of how hard it would be to dodge around him and run. But where would I go? Not to my apartment, there was a good chance he’d already know where that was…

“Listen, Frankie, let’s just go somewhere,” Dick said. “I mean… I could use somebody to talk to just… not out here, ya know?”

“I’m sorry, Dick,” I said, trying to back away. Dick’s augmented arm clamped down on my bicep, and I tried to pull away.

“Frankie, come on, just-” then, seeming to realize what he’d done, Dick let go, holding up his hands. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Frankie, I-I d-didn’t mean to do that.”

“Dick, I’m not going anywhere with you tonight,” I said. “I’m-”

“How ‘bout me, Frankie?”

The apology died on my lips as I spun. _No._

I barely registered the camera being shot. Because it was _him._

“Sorry, Frankie,” Dick said softly.I backed into my bike as Tonio walked forward. 

“Hey, what’s wrong, Frankie?” he drawled. “You aren’t happy to see me, lucero?”

“Don’t call me that,” I said, looking around. I had the wall to my right, and Dick on my left. There was space between my bike and the wall, but there was a car there. _If I jump the hood and get around it…_

“Yeah?” Tonio asked. I looked back to him. He was inches away now. He leaned in, and I leaned back, bending against my bike. I glared, meeting his eyes. He grinned. “You never change, mi amor.”

“I’m not yours, Tonio,” I said. The man chuckled. He rested a hand against my bike, cutting off my right side. He looked so damn smug I wanted to punch his teeth in… but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. He was physically stronger than me and it would cost me the element of surprise. Plus, he was close enough that I didn’t have a good angle for it. 

“Don’t be like that, lucero,” Tonio said, dropping the pitch of his voice. “I went to a lot of trouble to find you.”

“Let me say this in small words so you understand,” I said, sliding my feet apart slightly. _“I’m not interested.”_

“I don’t believe you,” Tonio said, closing what little remained of the gap between us. _Almost…_

“You should,” I said. Tonio chuckled, and pressed in to kiss me. 

That would be when I slammed back against my bike, dropping my body weight to roll out before Tonio could pin me. I grunted at the feel of the bike against my back, but didn’t have time to wait on that. I twisted and jumped, sliding over the hood of the car, then darting around to sprint out of the parking garage.

 _Miss Siu would beat me for being that sloppy,_ I thought, changing to a jog as I reached the street. I could hear Tonio cursing, probably at Dick, but I didn’t have the luxury of standing around to listen. Tonio had augmented legs; I needed to get far enough away before he saw where I went. I rounded an alley, briefly considered the fire escape, but passed it. Too much noise, too slow. _The sewers?_ Yes, that was a good idea.

I got to the nearest manhole and lifted it open more easily than I remembered ever being able to. _Adrenaline is a beautiful thing._ I just started down the ladder when I picked up and thrown against a brick wall.

The breath was knocked out of me, and my vision was impaired. That hurt like a bitch. I slumped to the ground, and tried to take in my surroundings. Breathing hurt, everything felt too tight. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but it was in vain.

“Look what you made me do, Frankie,” Tonio said from nearby. I groaned as I was picked up, then pushed against the wall. My vision was still a little blurred, but I could make out Tonio well enough. He was angry, but then he softened. I felt my feet touch the ground as he lowered me down again, and he sighed. “I don’t want to hurt you, lucero.”

“A little…” I coughed, getting my breath back. “Late for that…”

Tonio growled, and looked about ready to punch me in the face. He settled for the wall next to me.

“You never know when to shut up, you know that?” he asked. He shook his head, then let go of me. Brick dust settled on my shoulder where he pulled his hand out of the wall, and I struggled to stay standing. My phone, if I could reach it, call someone, the police-no, not them. Call… _Jensen._

“We can still do this the easy way, Frankie,” Tonio said. I tried to look at him. He had a strange expression on his face. Like he was trying to be angry, but couldn’t. “All you gotta do is get in the car, and we can pretend this never happened.”

“Car?” I asked, stalling for time. _Please don’t be broken._ I felt my pocket. My phone was still in one piece, thank God or whoever else was listening. 

“I’m taking you home, lucero,” Tonio said. He grabbed my wrist, and I mentally cursed right before he punched me in the gut. I doubled over, Tonio’s grip on my wrist the only thing keeping me from falling on my face. _He’s never learned how to pull his punches…_

I saw a car pull up in the alleyway. Dick got out, and rushed over. I felt my hands pulled behind my back. Zip ties. They got my legs, too.

“Sorry, corazon,” Tonio said, before I felt a sharp pain against the back of my head and blacked out.

***

_I’m fifteen again. In the back of Tonio’s van, drinking some piss beer he’d managed to steal. A dingy yellow street light streams in from the front, the only light there is._

_“What does it mean?” I asked._

_“What does what mean?” Tonio replied, knocking back another can._

_“That thing you call me,” I asked again. I was nursing a beer, but I was already pretty drunk. I hadn’t told Tonio it was my first time drinking. I don’t remember why. Maybe I wanted to look cool or something._

_“What thing?” Tonio asked. He was topless, in a pair of torn up jeans. His shirt had gotten covered in grease while he was working on cars in a local shop. He had a smudge of it on his face. “You’ll have have to be more specific, lucero.”_

_“That!” I’d exclaimed, pointing. “That thing!”_

_“What, lucero?” Tonio asked. I nodded, and he chuckled. “It means ‘bright star’.”_

_“Really?” I said. Tonio chuckled again, moving to settle next to me._

_“Really, lucero,” he said, a smile in his eyes. I looked away, feeling myself flush. It was just the alcohol, or so I told myself._

_“Why?” I asked._

_“Because that’s what you are,” Tonio said. I peered back at him suspiciously. He grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me against him. “You’re a bright star in dark.”_

_“No I’m not,” I said, attempting to wiggle away weakly._

_“You are to me,” Tonio said, suddenly serious. I turned my head, blinking at him. Cautiously, like he might scare me off, he leaned in and kissed me. I froze for a second, then slowly relaxed. Tonio backed off, and grinned. “Mi lucero, quiero hacerte el amor.”_

_“I don’t know what that means,” I said, but the way he said it and the hungry look in his eyes made me a little breathless._

_“Tu me vuelves loca,” Tonio said, and kissed me again, deeper. He shifted on top of me, and I couldn’t figure out what to do with my hands. “Te amo, te amo.”_

_“What does… what does that mean?” I asked, trying to figure out what was the alcohol and what was Tonio making me feel hot and dizzy._

_“Te amo,” he said, stubble brushing against my neck. “I love you, mi lucero.”_

_“L-love?” I asked, and I was suddenly pretty sure which was which. Tonio chuckled, nipping at my collarbone before pulling back._

_“Si, te amo,” he said. I gulped. He tilted his head was a sly smile. “Quiero hacerte el amor; I want to make love to you.”_

_“You… you want to… with me?” I asked. Tonio laughed, and pushed against me. I flinched a little at feeling his erection, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off him._

_“Si, mi amor,” he said. “Is it alright?”_

_“... yeah,” I said, still feeling dizzy. Tonio laughed, and kissed me again._

_“Eres lindo,” he said._

***

I groaned as I came to. I was gagged. It was dark, and I was cramped. _They threw me in the trunk…_ I cursed myself. I’d gotten sloppy. I tried to move around, but most of my body was asleep. I groggily wondered how long I’d been out, then decided that wasn’t important. I wasn’t expected in to work until Monday, which meant there would be at least two days until anyone was looking for me. If not more.

_Dammit._

How had he found me? I’d been careful. Had it been Carson? Probably. He’d probably ratted me out, or Tonio had won him over. 

_Dammit._

It didn’t really matter how, did it? The point was, it happened. Now I needed to fix it. I needed to, somehow, get out of the trunk of this car, get the zip ties off my hands, get away from Tonio and probably Dick as well, and then get back to Detroit and find a way to make sure he never found me again.

_Dammit!_


	2. Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song featured in this chapter is "Sabor a Mi" by Rolondo Lesarie.
> 
> Also, going to try to catch this up to Missing before moving on in that one, though I am working on it.

## 01:17:03

We stopped at a seedy motel. Tonio half-dragged half-carried me out of the trunk and into a room and tossed me on the bed. I checked the time on the clock on the nightstand. _Three hours._ If I could just convince Tonio to let me out of the zip-ties and gag long enough to, oh, take a piss…

“That’s a different look on you, lucero. It’s like you’re trying to hide,” Tonio said. I turned my head to glare at him. He was peeking out the blinds on the window, which overlooked the parking lot. Probably checking on Dick. He looked back at me, then smirked. “Haven’t lost that fire in your eyes, though.”

He slipped out of his leather vest, then pulled his shirt off. Tossing them in a corner, he went and locked the door. He whistled to himself while he did it, and then he walked over to me. He patted down my pockets, and took my phone. Then he cut the zip-ties from my hands and feet. 

He went to the desk and sat, watching me as I got up and removed the gag. I glared at him, then sat, crossing my arms. He had a game. There was no way he didn’t have a game. I would just have to wait him out. I wasn’t disappointed.

“If you wanted to know about Hilde, you could have just asked,” he said, idly toying with my phone. 

“Really? Is that why you decided to kidnap me instead of just contacting me?” I asked. Tonio smirked. It was hard to believe I ever found that endearing. 

“Maybe things could have turned out differently if you had just tried to contact me earlier, lucero,” he said. 

“Why, yes, then I wouldn’t have had time to realize what an abusive, manipulative prick you are,” I said. Tonio frowned, but then shook his head. 

“You really haven’t changed,” he said.

“Neither, unfortunately, have you,” I replied. Tonio scoffed, then chuckled.

“I think I can get you to get on a plane with me tomorrow,” he said. I arched a brow.

“Really? You don’t think I’ll raise an alarm? Report you to TSA?” I asked. Tonio was smirking again. _Smug bastard._

“Not if you’re still trying to find Hilde, you won’t,” he said. I wanted to punch him. I even stood up before I realized what I’d done. I glared, feeling my nails cut into my skin as I clenched my fists.

“What did you do to Matts?” I asked, voice hissing through my teeth. Tonio stood, languidly stretching, like a cat. It was a good analogy for him; a large animal of prey.

“I,” he started, walking up to me, coming within inches so I had to look up at him, “Didn’t do anything. She did it to herself. I just got her to help.”

“Oh really?” I asked, not backing down, not for this. I felt Tonio’s arms come up, hands ghosting up my own arms. It made my skin crawl.

“Really, lucero,” he said. He expression softened, like he was trying to convey his feelings through sight alone. The fact that some part of me still wanted to believe him made me feel nauseous. “Do you really think I would hurt Hilde?”

“... no,” I said. I could feel the tension drain out of me, and I looked away. For all his flaws, he wouldn’t have hurt Matts. She looked too much like me, for starters, and he knew if he had done anything to her, I’d kill him myself. Whatever he had for me, he wouldn’t risk it that way. I flinched at the hand curling around my waist, and pulled away, turning my back on Tonio. I felt my arms curl around myself, but honestly couldn’t care at the moment. Everything, everything was falling apart. My life, my “clean slate”; I could feel it slipping away. I held on to myself, trying to keep the feeling from dragging me down. There was only one way things would end, that way.

“Lucero,” Tonio stepped up behind me, close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck. His hands went to my waist, pulling me gently against him. My hands were beginning to shake. _Where was she?_ I needed to ask. Tonio wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, he would let something slip. _An underground clinic? A hospital?_

But I didn’t ask. I let Tonio kiss the back of my neck, didn’t move as he pulled out my hair tie. He wrapped his arms around me, and I still didn’t move. I felt trapped; frozen, a man out of time. I didn’t want his embrace to feel good, didn’t want his warmth creeping into my skin like that. _I should be over him. He’s a lying, manipulative bully. He doesn’t care about me, or anyone but himself._

 _“Tanto tiempo disfrutamos de este amor,”_ Tonio sang softly, and I couldn’t help but scoff. I could feel his smile. _“Nuestras almas se acercaron tanto así.”_

He swayed, and despite my best efforts, I went along. This song… he’d called it ours, once. I hadn’t heard it for years.

_“Que yo guardo tu sabor_  
Pero tú llevas también  
Sabor a mi.” 

With that he spun me, and I found myself caught as he took my hands, leading me a bolero. I hadn’t done the dance in years, but it came back, like riding a bicycle. 

_“Si negaras mi presencia en tu vivir_  
Bastaría con abrazarte y conversar  
Tanta vida yo te di  
Que por fuerza tienes ya  
Sabor a mi.” 

There was no music, but it wasn’t a problem. I could hear it, like I was a teenager again, in a field in Texas, tinny sound coming through the radio in the beat up old pick up with rust showing through the red paint. And Tonio, teaching me how to dance the bolero, as his mother had once taught him. He said she had been a dancer, once.

_“No pretendo ser tu dueño_  
No soy nada, yo no tengo vanidad  
De mi vida doy lo bueno  
Soy tan pobre ¿qué otra cosa puedo dar?” 

Lies, beautiful, heart breaking lies. Tonio’s eyes had this deepness to them. I think even he wanted to believe them, a little.

_“Pasaran más de mil años, muchos más_  
Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad  
Pero allá, tal como aquí  
En la boca llevarás  
Sabor a mi.” 

The song was over, and we stood. Tonio had pulled me against him at the last, softly. He was looking down at me, eyes like liquid chocolate. I looked down, at his mouth. I was letting him get to close. I needed to pull away, before I let him drag me back down.

His hand came up to card into my hair, thumb stroking the temple. I wanted to pull away, but I leaned into it instead. He kissed me, soft and sweet. 

And then he stepped away, and it actually felt a little colder.

“Sabor a mi,” he said. A taste of me. 

I stepped, and felt a little lightheaded. I sat on the edge of the bed, I hadn’t realized I’d held my breath. I covered my mouth, disgusted with myself. Tonio sat next to me, hands resting in his lap. He sighed, and looked at me.

“We had something great, lucero,” he said. “But, if you really want to be rid of me, I’ll let you go. After you help me.”

_Liar._

“I’ll even tell you where Hilde is.”

_Liar._

“And then, maybe, we can… try again?”

I shook my head, a short, curt motion. It was more to clear it than an answer, and Tonio waited for me to say something.

“I need a smoke,” I said, and Tonio went to his jacket and retrieved two; one for me and one for him. We went on the balcony outside the door. He lit mine first, and I inhaled as deeply as I could, feeling the nicotine burning down my throat. I held it a minute, then blew it out. I leaned forward on the railing, and Tonio leaned back on the wall next to the door. The cigarette had burned to a snub by the time I spoke again.

“What do you need me for?”

“Let’s speak inside,” Tonio said. Nothing legal, then, though I hardly expected anything else. I tossed the butt, and we went back into the room. 

Tonio turned suddenly, pressing me into the just shut door and sticking his tongue down my throat. I pressed back, caught by surprise, and then made a muffled gasp in surprise as the man squeezed my ass, pulling me up at the same time. I wrapped my legs around him as they left the floor, and instinct, and my arms came up around his shoulders. I needed to stop this, but I couldn’t. 

_We enjoyed this love for so long_  
And our souls got so close that now  
I carry your flavour  
But you also  
Carry mine 

Tonio snaked a hand into my hair and tugged, just enough to make me put my head back. He attacked my neck, biting and sucking. He’d never really been gentle; but then, neither had I.

_If you were to deny my presence in your life_  
I'd just need to embrace you and to talk to you  
I gave you so much life  
That whether you like it or not  
Now you carry my flavour 

He picked me up, off the door, carried me to the bed. We half fell on it, and Tonio was working on my clothes. One hand tugging at my jacket, the other under the shirt already and teasing a nipple. 

_It's not my intention to be your owner_  
I'm nothing, I don't possess any vanity  
I always give the best of my life  
Because I'm poor so what else could I give? 

The words were true at the time. Or maybe they never were. Did it matter? Lies, truth; he was like a drug. I could remind myself over and over that he was bad for me, could even cite examples, but I always came back, didn’t I? He was addictive, it was part of what kept the crew together.

_Many more than a thousand years will pass, many more_  
And I don't know if love exists in the eternity  
But there, just like here  
In your mouth you will carry  
My flavour 

I stopped thinking. I could be ashamed later. As Tonio managed to divest me of jacket and turtleneck, I closed my eyes. I let the sensations wash over me; the feel of his hands, the smell of smoke, the taste of his tongue. I drowned in them, in him. I wanted to go back; back to when things were simpler, when this didn’t make me feel like there was tar in my stomach. Tonio was kissing and sucking his way down my sternum, leaving what would become bruises in his wake. As he ghosted over my stomach, working at my belt, I gave myself a resolution.

I would help him. I would do whatever it was, find out where Matts was, and I would leave. Make a new life for myself; start all over again. And this time, no one would find us. Not even someone like Sarif. And then it would be over.

I would make sure it was.

***

Later, I pulled on my pants and had another smoke on the balcony. I had to look like a cheap prostitute, covered in hickeys and freshly sexed, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t long that Tonio joined me.

“I’ll do it,” I said, “And then I’m leaving. With Matts.”

“I said you could, and you will,” Tonio said, stepping up wrap a loose hand around my waist and kiss my shoulder. “But I hope you reconsider, lucero. We belong together, mi amor.”

I didn’t say anything, just watched as the smoke wove its way into the night.

## Indianapolis International Airport 13:12:03

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. When I’d gotten out of the shower at the motel, Tonio had provided me with new clothes. Leather pants, a black tank, black heeled boots. What I used to wear all the time, back in the gang. I’d thought about complaining, but there was really no use at this point. It was what Tonio wanted, and what Tonio wanted, Tonio got. At least for now. 

Indianapolis. And before the day’s end, San Antonio. Then, I’d take Matts and we’d go somewhere new.

All I had to do was hack into Sarif Industries and steal the neuropozyne formula.

I clutched the edge of the sink, grateful that, for the moment, I was alone. This was insane. What did Tonio even want with the neuropozyne? What had he done since I’d left? I sighed. Looked at myself in the mirror again. Dressed like this, I could see myself the way I used to be. The scared, scrawny teenager just trying to get by. I glared at my reflection. 

That wasn’t me anymore. I wasn’t helpless. And I would get through this. _No going back._

I left the bathroom, feeling a little taller than I had that morning.

## San Antonio International Airport 18:42:07

“Tonio!”

Ellie. Just the same, though she’d lost her roundness. There was a hard edge in her face now, and wrinkles were starting to show. I stepped to the side as she ran into Tonio, glad not to have been noticed for the moment. I looked past her, to see who else had come. 

“Welcome back, Frankie,” Serene said, working on a comlink unit as she walked up at a more measured pace. She didn’t look a day older than she had twenty years ago. I felt a chill go down my spine, but that was how I always felt around Serene.

“Serene,” I said, feeling out of place and at the same time entirely at ease. Back with the old gang, yet still not a part of them. 

“Oh, hi, Frankie,” Ellie said, still hanging off Tonio’s arm as she effected a giggle. I sighed internally. Ellie had never liked me, and never would. But she pretended, because that was what Tonio wanted. “Ellie didn’t think you would come back.”

“I was… persuaded otherwise,” I said, frowning. 

“I would say so,” Serene said, gazing pointedly at my exposed neck. I felt suddenly self conscious, as if I were completely naked. I forced myself not to react, even as Ellie seethed. Serene looked into my eyes, and smiled thinly. So, it was a game. As always.

“Dick stayed in Detroit,” Tonio said, and Serene turned her gaze to him. She blinked, then nodded. “I have him recruiting.”

We had migrated outside while we spoke. Leaning against a dark SUV was an assault on any sense of taste in electric yellow and black. Tonio slipped his arm out from Ellie to wrap it around my shoulders, his other hand resting on the shoulder near him.

“Frankie, meet Nova. Nova, Frankie,” he said, a bit of a warning tone in his voice. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me, the abomination, or both.

“So you’re this Frankie everybody talks about,” Nova said, popping a bubble of yellow gum. She held out a hand; the hand itself seemed normal, but the arm above the wrist was a transparent yellow tube with machinery underneath. I shook.

“Funny, no one’s mentioned you,” I said. I couldn’t help it, really. Someone that full of themselves was asking to be taken down a peg. The look on her face was priceless. Tonio laughed. 

“Don’t take it personally,” Serene said, walking to the driver’s side. “Frankie’s always been… prickly.”

“Especially to new people,” Ellie chimed in, climbing into the back of the SUV. Nova sputtered, as if unsure what to say, and Tonio had me get in the car first. I got in the very back and slid to the far side. Tonio joined me, leaving Nova in the passenger’s side. As Tonio slung an arm around my shoulders again, I could see Nova glaring in the rearview mirror. 

Some things never change. I looked at Ellie, then rested my arm on the window ledge and looked out. It was certainly a step up from pick up trucks and utility vans, but it still begged the question: what had Tonio been up to since I left?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one kind of ran away from me in the middle there...


	3. Day Three

## Abandoned Home (The Old Dennis Moore Building) 07:02:14

_“Frank, are we gonna be ok?”_

_We were in the back of Tonio’s truck, me, and Matts. And the body, the one in the rolled up tarp. I tried not to think about it. Tonio was driving fast, each bump set us bouncing up for a heart-stopping minute. I was using an oily rag to try and get the blood off my hands, but I paused to look at her._

_She was huddled in one corner, and she looked very small and thin. She was always that way, but usually I forgot because she had this way of filling up a room. Matts liked to sing, all the time. When she wasn’t singing, she was talking, on and on about anything and everything. But she was quiet now._

_“I don’t know,” I said, going back to my hands. Shit, shit shit! Tonio was on the phone, yelling at someone in Spanish. I could follow the conversation, but I was trying to tune it out. The guy in the tarp had been a dealer, but someone had paid him to off Tonio. So Tonio had protected himself by shooting the guy in the head with a sawed off shotgun. Just the thought of that sight made me dry heave, but I’d already retched everything up when it happened._

_“You don’t know,” Matts said, a statement, not a question. There was no trace of malice there, or even resentment. She seemed to be turning the idea around in her head. Thank God she’d been waiting in the truck. My hands were shaking so badly it was hard to concentrate on the blood. It just kept replaying in my head, like a bad movie. Tonio had just killed a man. Shot him in the head._

_I jumped at a hand on mine. It was Matts. She looked up at me._

_“Let me,” she said, and took the cloth. She moved it to wipe up my face. There must have been blood there, too. The shaking was spreading; up my arms, my legs. I had been calm when it happened; no, not calm, numb. I’d felt like I was somewhere else, watching someone else help Tonio carry the body down the stairs and into the bed of his truck. But now it was starting to hit me. I wanted to throw up again. Instead, I felt myself start crying._

_Matts pulled me into a hug, hushing me._

_“It’ll be ok, Frank,” she said. Hadn’t she just asked me about that?_

_“It’s going to be ok.”_

***

I woke with a start. I hadn’t thought about that night in a long time. I put a hand to my head, letting my heart rate steady out. Then I got up and got ready for the day.

I was actually surprised Tonio let me have a room to myself. He kept my phone, but that wasn’t surprising. He’d never been a genius, but he wasn’t stupid. I got up, dressed and showered. A whole building. They had a whole building now. And it was full of grunts and flunkies. I looked at myself in the mirror. I really did look like when I was a teenager again. I pulled my hair back, looked again. A little better. I let it fall. I could do this. I had to.

I stepped out. There was a bulky Latino man outside the door. A guard. I ignored him, putting my hands in my pockets as I walked into the main area.

The Old Dennis Moore building had been a pencil making factory that had been out of business since before I was born. Tonio had cleared out all the equipment to make room for his own, and it looked mostly to be a giant drug lab and boardinghouse. I looked around as I went to the elevator. My guard tailed me, joining me in the elevator. As it rose to the top, I side-eyed him.

Large frame, old clothes. Probably someone they’d brought in from the streets. I could probably take him, if I caught him by surprise. I glanced at his belt. There was a pistol there. I would have to be fast, though. Not that I was going to. It was just a thought. 

The elevator reached the top floor. I walked out first, and looked around again. Tonio had given me a cursory tour the night before. This level was broken up into spaces for various business aspects of the operation. I made my way around to one side of the room, where Tonio was talking to some men in suits. Money launderers, probably. Working for old man Pritchard had given me some insight into who did what, and what you needed for operations like this.

I waited for him to finish a few feet away. I looked at the things going on around me. There was Ellie, flirting with a scientist looking type. It was always hard to tell how much Ellie understood anything, given her air head act, but she must have known something about the formulas on the board behind her to be talking to the scientist. Nova was in a corner doing her nails. It was hard to determine what she was actually doing there. _Well, Tonio always liked to surround himself with beautiful idiots._

“Frankie!” the man himself said, walking up and hugging me as the men in suits left. I let him, but broke the contact soon as possible. A dark look passed over Tonio’s face, but he covered it again with a smile. 

“Where am I working?” I asked. The sooner I started, the sooner this could end. Tonio held out a hand to wave me forward, and I went. He led me to a set up in the corner of the room, and I was shocked to see it was my own set up, the old one from before I’d left. I ran my hands over the keyboard; it would be out of date and not nearly enough to hack Sarif Industries, but there was something about it that made me smile. I’d learned how to really hack on this gear, made a name for myself on it. Nucl3arsnake. I frowned. In all honesty, it was a dumb name. _Well, we all did stupid things when we were teenagers._

“I know you don’t like people touching your tech,” Tonio said, “But Hilde kept your equipment up to date while you were gone. Hope you don’t mind.”

I sat at the chair there, and booted up the system. Tonio was right, of course; it was all the most up to date hardware and software the black market had to offer. I felt a glimmer of pride for Matts; she never had a real interest in computers, but she always listened when I talked about them. I paused running through basic diagnostics of the system.

_This is all I left her, isn’t it?_

The thought hit me, hard. It was a physical sensation, like a wave crashing over my head. This was it. This was all she had of me. I could see her now, reading articles and hanging around tech bars to learn about all the new technology, keeping my tech up to snuff… for me.

I swallowed at the sudden lump in my throat. No. Now was not the time to be emotional. There would be time for that later. I forced myself to focus on the diagnostics, figuring out exactly what I was working with. It was good. All top of line, only a few months out of date at most. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and stilled.

“Is it good, lucero?” Tonio asked. I waited a moment, then pulled away.

“It’ll do,” I said. I could see Tonio’s expression on the screen. Surprised and hurt, and then there was anger. He opened his mouth to say something, then paused. He took a breath, forced himself to smile. His smiles always looked effortless, but his forced smiles actually looked even more effortless than usual. Tonio turned.

“Raven!” he called. I tried to ignore him, but watched the reflection on the screen as a teenager sort of staggered up. I paused, turned to get a better look. 

_Suit._

All my instincts were screaming it. I had to give the old bastard credit; if there was one thing he’d managed to teach me, it was how to spot a fed. It was in the way she walked, how she put too much effort into looking down trodden - hence the stagger. She tried too hard to hide her face; the long black hair, the hoodie. Lack of hardware for someone into the Goth look, like she’d wandered into a Fiery Subject and picked whatever she thought looked the most depressing. Hands in her pockets, she stopped a few feet in front of Tonio.

“Yeah?” she asked, looking up at him. I peered at her eyes, and… yes, color contacts. How she’d gotten this far was a mystery to me, but if she tried much harder even Tonio was bound to figure her out.

“This is my old friend, Frankie,” Tonio said, then turned to me. “Frankie, Raven. Raven’s been our tech support for the past couple of weeks.”

“Hey,” Raven said. I nodded, turning back to my set up. Tonio scoffed, and turned back to the suit, throwing an arm around her. Ah, a jealousy play. How very Tonio.

“Frankie’s not much of a people person,” he said, pushing her a bit closer to the back of the chair. “See, Frankie used to run with the original crew, back in the day.”

“So?” Raven asked. I was watching reflections again. She seemed neutral to Tonio invading her space. So, not really an introvert, either. Not to say every hacker was, but least common denominator of a goth hacker was going to be an introvert. And she was definitely playing a far too specific part. Rookie, maybe? Or were they just desperate to get someone on the inside?

“So I want you to watch him,” Tonio said, a challenge in his eyes. He knew I was watching. “Learn something. He works for some corporate big wig now, so he gotta be good for something.”

“Yeah, right,” Raven said. “Not like he’d have to know much to be a corporate monkey.”

“Trust me, Frankie knows what he’s doing,” Tonio said. He patted the woman’s shoulder, smiled at me, then walked off, whistling a song. 

So, he didn’t trust me. Fine. I would just have to do my best to look like I was attempting to hack into Sarif Industries while not actually doing anything illegal. Perfect.

“So,” Raven said, leaning on the chair back, “What makes you so fucking special?”

“Nothing,” I said. “And get off the chair.”

“What? I’m not doing anything,” Raven said. 

“You’re being a nuisance,” I replied, pulling up as much bullshit as I could. There was no telling how much the suit actually knew about computers, but it was better safe than sorry. “I’m not a babysitter, so if you’d like to act like a prepubescent brat, do it somewhere else.”

“Excuse you?” Raven demanded, though she did get off the back of the chair. “I-”

“No, excuse you,” I said, as interested in her tantrum as I was in a root canal. “I have work to do and you and I both know the only reason you’re here is to make sure I do it, not to engage in pointless arguments over your maturity, or lack thereof.”

“You-”

“And, if you don’t mind keeping your opinions about ‘corporate monkeys’ being sell outs to the cause of freedom of information or some other such bullshit, I’d consider it a kindness,” I said. At the same time, I opened a command terminal and typed a message.

_if you were any more obvious i would out you on principle_

Raven stared in shock, though it was hard to tell if it were because of what I’d said or what I’d typed. Of course, that was the entire point. 

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Raven demanded. I scoffed. 

“That people who garner a profit by breaking laws claiming that those of us who make a profit without breaking them using the same skill set are somehow brainwashed puppets that have lost sight of our morals are hypocrites,” I said, at the same time erasing what I’d put in the command line. “I could take it from a hacktavist that doesn’t get money for what they do, but not from simpering script kiddies that try to sell ideals they don’t understand and ultimately betray by using their skills to make a profit their own way.”

_you are a suit. and not a very good one i might add_

“Tch, you don’t know me,” Raven said, and I could see her stuff her hands in her pockets in the screen’s reflection. 

“I’ve known enough like you,” I said. “Just don’t get in my way, and try not to talk too much, and I’ll tolerate you well enough.”

“Whatever,” the woman said, not commenting on the text. _Ha, got you._ If there had been any doubt before then, it would have been gone. A real script kiddie would have made a scene about me accusing them of being a suit. A suit that didn’t know many script kiddies wouldn’t want to even put the idea in someone’s head that they weren’t who they said they were. Really, who was teaching these people, anyway?

Most of the day passed without incident. Tonio checked up every once in a while, but I mostly tried to ignore him. I had work to do, creeping around Tonio’s network trying to find his plans while pretending to hack Sarif Industries. And having a suit acting like a script kiddie over my shoulder was wearing thin on my patience. When a reasonable hour rolled around to stop working and go to bed, I was glad to stand and stretch. 

I looked around. There was my shadow, the guard from this morning. I walked around, making my way back to the room Tomio had shown me. The man himself was waiting at the door. 

“Take a break, Rico,” Tonio said, and my shadow grunted and ambled off. Tonio waited, leaning on the door.

“Something I can help you with?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Yeah, see, I’m confused, lucero,” Tonio said. “Did I do something to upset you?”

“I don’t think I have time to give that the answer it deserves,” I said. Tonio glared, pushing off the door and stepping into my space.

“What’s your problem, Frankie?” he asked. “I thought we’d worked things out.”

“Oh really?” I said, physically scoffing. “So, after you manipulated me for years, then kidnapped me and put my sister who knows where, you thought me agreeing to help you was us ‘working things out’?”

I pushed past Tonio, hand reaching the handle of the door before he grabbed me by the arm and whirled me around. I heard myself hiss; that was probably going to bruise.

“That’s not what I meant,” Tonio said. 

“I know what you _meant_ ,” I said. I had the urge to spit in his face, but I held it back. There was only so far I could push Tonio, and I was stretching my limits. “But it’s not what you _said_. Let go.”

“Why are you ignoring me?” Tonio asked, tightening his grip instead.

“Because I don’t like you,” I said, attempting to pull out of his grasp. 

“Then why did you sleep with me at the motel?” Tonio persisted. I sighed.

“That was a mistake,” I said. We glared at each other. And then, all at once, Tonio relaxed. He smiled, letting go and putting his hands up as he took a step back. 

“Right. A mistake,” he said. Then he chuckled. “So like you, lucero. To hide the way that you can’t resist me. You need me, lucero.”

“I need you like I need cancer,” I replied, and Tonio laughed.

“I’ll let you play your game, mi amor,” he said, turning and walking down the hall. “You’ll come around.”

“Like hell I will… ” I said, but it sounded doubtful. Even to me. I sighed, finally making it into my room. I sat on the bed, and put my head in my hands. I could do this. I could do what Tonio wanted, or at least fake it, and then I’d find Matts and we’d disappear so he could never find either of us ever again. I could do this.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew! this feels like it took longer than it needed to, but here it is!


	4. Day Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is concurrent with Day One in Missing.

## Abandoned Home 09:45:17

My phone went off again. I knew because Tonio had it with him, and took it out and glared at it each time it went off. Like scolding an unruly child. I shook my head. That would be Shauna. If Tonio were a little smarter, he would have let me answer already. Radio silence was suspicious. But Tonio was paranoid I was going to use the call to relay information, and so kept the phone to himself. I knew this because he looked at the phone, and then over at me each and every time it went off. Debating. 

“Raven”, for her part, was continuing to play the part of the script kiddie. I was getting better at tuning her out, but at some point I would have to say something. I might even be able to instigate a full blown argument. That would certainly be a time killer. 

With a sigh, I rose. I needed a smoke. 

Surveying the room, I spotted Ellie as the person nearest by. I put my hands in my pockets and strolled over.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Raven asked, staying in my peripheral.

“To say hello,” I said, making Ellie turn as she heard. “Hello, Ellie.”

“Frankie,” Ellie said, smiling in a way that didn’t reach her eyes. “Ellie was thinking of talking to you.”

“I’m sure you were,” I said, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort. “Got a smoke?”

“Well… Ellie guesses you can have one,” she said. She into her cleavage, pulling out a small metal case. When she opened it, it looked like it could hold up the five cigarettes. It held three. Ellie held it out to me, and I took one.

“Um, hello?” Raven said. “We don’t have time for this shit! We have a job to do!”

“You mean _I_ have a job to do,” I said, nodding thanks as Ellie pulled out a lighter. She had her own cigarette, and lit it up as well. As the woman took a drag, letting it go leisurely, I got the distinct impression she was doing this more for the sake of annoying Raven then me. Not that it particularly mattered; I got a smoke either way.

“My job is to make sure you do your job, so _we_ have a job to do,” Raven said, glaring.

“Jobs,” Ellie said, surprising the so-called hacker. No one really gave Ellie credit for how smart she was. 

“What?” Raven asked.

“We have _jobs_ to do, not _a_ job,” I said, leaning back against a crate. “You have a job, and I have another. We have _jobs_ to do.”

“Oh what the fuck ever,” Raven said. “This isn’t a school, I don’t care about my grammar.”

“Ellie thinks it’s a school,” the woman said. “The school of hard knocks. That’s what Ellie’s mommy used to call it.”

“That it is,” I said. I looked at Ellie. She looked right back, trying to prove that bringing up her mother hadn’t affected her. But her bottom lip quivered a bit, and her eyes weren’t defiant enough to cover up the vulnerability there. I could feel myself frown. Being an orphan had sucked. But at least my parents hadn’t been scum of the earth.

“Tch, what, are we in some corny gangster film now?” Raven asked, and I looked back at her. “Is somebody gonna make me an offer I can’t refuse?”

“Yes, me,” I said. “Here’s the offer: shut up.”

Ellie snorted, then tittered. Raven glowered.

“Or else what?” she demanded. I took a drag on my cigarette, debating how to answer. I blew the smoke in the woman’s direction, and she waved it off, clearly disgusted.

“I’ll leave it up to your imagination,” I said, and Raven looked about to say something back when she was interrupted. By my phone ringing as Tonio walked up. He smiled, slipping the phone into his pocket.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked. Ellie smiled and batted her eyes.

“Ellie doesn’t mind,” she said, pitching her voice low. She was probably going for a seductive purr; it sounded a little more husky. Smoking tended to do that.

I didn’t say anything, but Tonio seemed to take that as an agreement. He pulled out his own cigarette, and lit it with a Zippo. It didn’t seem like something he’d normally carry; it was dented and dingy, not to mention the flower design-

I paused, jaw going slack in shock. The cigarette fell, and I had to hop to the side as it hit me. Raven snickered, and Ellie tittered again.

“Someone is getting clumsy,” Ellie said, taking another drag. 

“Something wrong, Frankie?” Tonio asked, putting the lighter away. I thought about replying, but closed my mouth instead. My phone was still ringing.

“They’re going to keep calling,” I said. Tonio took a drag, then held the cigarette in his lips as he pulled out my phone. He seemed to be considering for a bit, then held the phone out to me. I took it, making eye contact. I didn’t look as I accepted the call, watching Tonio instead.

“Listen, Shauna, I’m sorry I didn’t call-”

“Pritchard.”

I tried not to let it show as relief flooded through me. Jensen. Oh, thank god, it was Jensen. Not that anyone _here_ needed to know that. 

“Yes, look, I know I said I’d let you know if I’d be in late, and I understand you’ve been working all night,” I said, careful to make it sound like Shauna had just been yelling at me. Tonio was regarding me coolly. I needed to be careful.

“I understand, just tell me what you can,” Jensen said. For once, I was extremely glad the man was a former cop. He’d been trained for situations like this. 

“Listen, I’ll be honest,” I said, making Ellie start. Tonio put a hand on her shoulder when she looked like she’d say something. “I ran into some old friends and went out for some drinks. I have a massive hangover, so just cover for me, alright? I’ve covered for you enough times.”

Tonio smiled. The way he’d originally tried to get me to come along. I supposed there was something poetic about it, but I wasn’t particularly concerned about poetry at the moment. If I said anything that would tip Tonio off, there was no telling what he would do.

I turned to the side, affecting an air of intimacy with the phone. I needed to act this right.

“You know where the keys to the server room are, and for God’s sake don’t let that rodent in my office!” I said, although if Shauna actually managed to help Jensen find me, I might buy her another rat myself. Ferret. God, now she had me doing it. I glanced at Tonio. He seemed amused by the remark.

“Really hoping you’re telling me something useful here, Francis,” Jensen said. I couldn’t stop the noise I made, but I did manage to make it sound less like an indignant scoff before I made it. _That little…_

“Oh, and one more thing. Make sure Jensen does his damn job,” I said. _Accuse me of giving out useless information, would he?_ I glanced at Tonio again. Shit. That last comment had raised a flag for him, it seemed. He looked like he was trying to remember something, and I looked away. I’d let my pride get the better of me. Hopefully it wouldn’t cost me too much.

“I’ll see he gets the message,” the man said, and I wanted to snip back at him for sounding, of all things, amused, but I couldn’t. 

“See that you do,” I said instead, and hung up the connection. I turned, holding it back out to Tonio.

“Who’s Jensen?” he asked, accepting it. He slipped the phone in his pocket again, gaze guarded. I could try lying, but Tonio was sure to fact check, and the Head of Security was on the damn homepage for department heads. So, I’d have to be honest.

“Sarif Industries’ Head of Security,” I said. “A real prick with an inflated ego.”

“Is that so?” Tonio asked, crossing his arms and raising a brow. Tread carefully. Honesty is the best policy.

“It is,” I said. “He can’t go five minutes without trying to uncover some big conspiracy, and then up and leaves to go and chase it down. And somehow he’s still David’s golden boy, despite the fact that he’s hardly even efficient at his job.”

“Ellie thinks it sounds like you like him,” Ellie piped up, with a smile full of sweetness and innocence. 

“Yeah, sounds like a real winner there,” Raven muttered. 

“I’m sorry, what part of any of that indicated that I _liked_ Jensen? I barely _tolerate_ the man,” I said. Ellie laughed, and Tonio seemed curious.

“Because,” she said, recrossing her legs, “That’s how you used to talk about Tonio.”

There was a palpable pause. Ellie looked positively pleased with herself, taking an enjoyable drag on her cigarette. Raven was looking between Tonio and I, waiting to see what happened. I looked at Tonio. The man seemed to be considering, but there was a telling tick in his cheek that betrayed his anger. 

“Get a boyfriend while you were away, lucero?” he asked, finally. I scoffed.

“Hardly,” I said. I leaned against the crates, trying for nonchalance. I needed to play this right. “Jensen’s straight as far as I can tell, and a little to focused on keeping up his brooding demeanor to get into a relationship. Though I don’t suppose I blame him, given his girlfriend died.”

“I see,” Tonio said. He took a step closer, and crowded into my space. “So, there’s been no one after me, then?”

 _Oh hell no. Hell fucking no._ This was _not_ going to be left alone. I was not Tonio’s property, and had no intention of becoming such. I glared up at him, revulsion bubbling up like bile in my mouth.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I said, lip curling into a scowl. Tonio made a noise akin to a growl, and knocked the crate over with his augmented arm. I stood straight, almost having fallen over. 

“It’s my business because _you’re_ my business,” he said, glaring himself. I scoffed as loudly as I could.

“Oh, really? You think so?” I asked. “Well then, I’ll tell you all about all of the relationships I had after you. Let’s see first was Stella Evans, I actually _liked_ her; then Esperanza De Leon, who reminded me of you, actually; then Dima Greco-”

I stumbled, landing on my ass. The side of my face felt sore, but I supposed that was to be expected when someone backhanded you with a metal arm. But there was also a hot feeling, and when I gingerly touched my hand to my cheek, it came back wet. Something must have cut me. I glared up at Tonio. 

“Why?” he asked. “Why would you make me do that?”

“Make you, Tonio, really? I think we’re past the point where I would honestly believe that you deciding to hit me was my fault,” I said, getting to my feet. I caught Ellie’s gaze. She actually seemed a little… sorry, for me. I might have been goading the man, but I’d had a good teacher since then.

 _You must learn to control your body, Mr. Adams,_ Miss Siu had said, time and again. The time that stood out the most was after a particularly rough sparring session with Chin, while drinking tea. _It is not just a matter of learning how to move, but when. You cannot let your emotions rule you, or your opponent will use it against you. It is_ your _choice to move, not theirs. But there are two sides to the coin, Mr. Adams. Equally, it is not your choice to make your opponent move, but theirs. You can influence this decision, but in the end, it is still their choice. Remember this._

It had taken time for the lesson to stick, but eventually, it did. It had taken years before he’d realized the old woman had been talking about more than just sparring. But that had stuck, too. Eventually.

“You never change, Frankie,” Tonio said, turning to walk away.

“That lighter,” I said, making him pause. “I got that for Matts.”

Tonio turned, facing me again. He took out the lighter, examining it. With a shrug, he tossed it to me. I caught it, and looked it over. A metal case, flowers and vines engraved in a box against one side, the rest of it a weave pattern. My hand shook a little as I held it. It had been one of the few nice things I’d managed to get her when we were growing up. 

I jumped at a hand on my shoulder. It was Ellie.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” she said, softly, dropping the child voice for a moment. I clutched the lighter, then nodded, putting it in my pocket.

“Alright, thanks,” I said. Ellie smiled sadly, the unkind years showing through. And then she slipped on her mask, and almost skipped the way to a first aid kit. I shook my head, following at a more reasonable pace, thinking. 

How close had I come to ending up like Ellie? Utterly dependant on Tonio, or someone like him? And what about Matts? Had she changed since I’d been gone? Was she… _broken_?

My grip tightened on the lighter in my pocket. Whatever the case may be, we’d handle it when it happened. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're curious about the lighter design: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/auc-darumaya/item/b443/

**Author's Note:**

> Whelp, here we go! The adventure some people have been waiting for!
> 
> Pritchard's pretty hard to write, with how little you learn about him in the game. Which is funny considering I relate more to Pritchard than Jensen, but I digress.
> 
> This is a companion piece, however, it should be able to stand alone as well, so no need to go read the other one if you don't want to (but I would like it if you did.)


End file.
